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Some long out of print titles from both Warner Bros. and Paramount are the focus of this week’s new releases from Warner Archive. There are some first-rate choices this week, so let’s take a look at ‘em.

Targets (1968) – Boris Karloff gave his last great performance as Byron Orlock, a fading horror star who feels irrelevant in the modern world. He comes face to face with real terror in the form of a psychotic sniper, picking off victims at random. A remarkable early film from Peter Bogdanovich.

Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell (1974) – Hammer Films’ final Frankenstein entry finds Peter Cushing continuing his experiments in an insane asylum. David Prowse, still a few years away from becoming Darth Vader, plays the Creature. [...]

Lady In A Cage (1964) – Olivia de Havilland stars in this tense thriller as a rich widow trapped in her home elevator. Her pleas for help are answered by a group of thugs led by James Caan, who only make her ordeal even worse. This is a surprisingly good, underrated movie worth checking out.

Let’s Scare Jessica To Death (1971) – Another underrated horror gem, this one’s about a young woman recently released from a mental hospital, hoping to start a new life at a quiet, secluded country home. Rest and relaxation aren’t in the cards, however, when she starts having disturbing visions that may, or may not, all be in her mind.

Hallelujah (1929) – The first film from a major studio (MGM) to feature an all-black cast, this is undeniably a significant milestone in movie history. It hasn’t aged all that well, which I’m sure comes as no surprise, but it’s certainly interesting and has its moments. Highly recommended for classic Hollywood aficionados.

His Majesty O’Keefe (1954) – Burt Lancaster is back on the high seas, left stranded by a mutinous crew and washed ashore in the Fiji Islands, where he schemes to make his fortune.

Marie Antoinette (1938) – Norma Shearer has the title role and gives one of her finest performances in this costume drama, alongside Tyrone Power, John Barrymore and Robert Morley.

Into The Arms Of Strangers: Stories Of The Kindertransport (2000) – A devastating, Oscar-winning documentary about the thousands of Jewish children sent away from their families in Berlin to save them from the Nazis. This is a truly remarkable film.

1 Mile Above (2011) – In an attempt to fulfill the final wishes of his late brother, a young, inexperienced bicyclist treks up to the highest point in Tibet. I’d never heard of this one before but it sounds intriguing.

COMING SOON

A number of choice titles are now up for pre-order in the Warner Archive store. Perhaps the most surprising is Phil Spector, the recent HBO docudrama by David Mamet, starring Al Pacino and Helen Mirren. I’d assumed this would warrant a traditional DVD/Blu-ray release but apparently I was wrong. Also from HBO, Mary And Martha with Hilary Swank and Brenda Blethyn.

On the TV front, look for Nichols: The Complete Series, a short-lived western drama starring James Garner. Also coming soon: Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in Parachute Jumper, George Arliss in The Working Man and Most Wanted pick Sex Kittens Go To College, starring Mamie Van Doren, Tuesday Weld, Vampira and Thinko the Robot! Yeah, you know full well I’ll be reviewing that one.

Before we get to this week’s new releases, I’d like to draw your attention to a worthwhile documentary project on the crowd-funding site Indiegogo. If you’re reading this column, you probably have some interest in classic Hollywood and the history of Los Angeles. If so, check out After 68, a documentary on the rise and fall of L.A.’s historic Ambassador Hotel.

The Ambassador and its adjacent nightclub, the Cocoanut Grove, was one of the key hot spots in Los Angeles, particularly throughout the 30s and 40s. It hosted two Academy Award ceremonies, was frequented by pretty much every major star you can think of, and was used as a filming location for everything from The Graduate to Tobe Hooper’s Toolbox Murders, which is how I was able to visit it. [...]

The Ambassador was also the site of the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, a tragedy that essentially marked the beginning of the end for the hotel. It closed to guests in 1989 and was demolished in 2005. The site is now the home to a very large, very modern school complex.

Director Camilo Silva has been working on After 68, the first documentary feature on the Ambassador’s long, storied history, for years. Judging by the trailer, he’s got a terrific movie in the works. His team is now seeking completion funds on Indiegogo and the campaign is entering the home stretch. Check it out and, if you can, consider becoming a backer. They’ve got some nifty perks for your contribution, too.

And now, let’s take a look at what’s new from the Warner Archive collection this week.

Bomba The Jungle Boy, Volume 2 (1952-55) – Johnny Sheffield’s B-grade Tarzan returns with the final six entries in this adventure series. The titles include African Treasure, Bomba And The Jungle Girl, Safari Drums, The Golden Idol, The Killer Leopard and Lord Of The Jungle. Bombas away!

Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) – The rest of this week’s offerings are all previously released titles coming back into print. Robert Donat won the Oscar for his role as the devoted schoolteacher in this beloved classic.

Kitty Foyle (1940) – And Ginger Rogers won her Oscar as the working class title character in this romance.

Presenting Lily Mars (1943) – Judy Garland’s a small-town gal looking for her big break on Broadway in this fairly routine musical. Some good music, though, including “Broadway Rhythm”.

Johnny Belinda (1948) – Another Oscar-winning performance with Jane Wyman as a deaf-mute girl in a remote fishing community. After she’s raped, she’s further traumatized by her inability to communicate what happened to anyone. Lew Ayres plays the sympathetic doctor who tries to help her.

The Red Badge Of Courage (1951) – John Huston had a difficult time bringing Stephen Crane’s Civil War novel to the screen, clashing with the studio and losing control of the final cut. It’s still worth seeing but it’s a shame that the footage from Huston’s director’s cut has probably been destroyed.

The Master Of Ballantrae (1953) – Errol Flynn is comfortably in his swashbuckling wheelhouse in this adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel.

The Loved One (1965) – One of my all-time favorite comedies is finally back in print. Robert Morse stars as a young poet who takes a job at a Hollywood cemetery. The bizarre all-star cast includes Jonathan Winters, John Gielgud, Milton Berle, James Coburn, Liberace and Rod Steiger as Mr. Joyboy. This one’s a gem.

Gummo (1997) – Capitalizing on the success of Spring Breakers, here’s Harmony Korine’s first directorial effort. Personally, I find Korine’s work to be relentlessly unpleasant and pointless but if you’re a fan, knock yourself out.

This will be a quick one, updating you all on the week’s newest releases from Warner Archive, so let’s dive right on in.

The Frozen Dead (1966) – An early JET’s Most Wanted pick finally makes its official DVD debut! Mad scientist Dana Andrews had the forethought to cryogenically freeze the heads of some of the top Nazi leaders of WWII. Now it’s time to bring them back and get the old Third Reich going again. Your Nazi Zombie collection isn’t complete without this one, folks. [...]

The Accursed (1957) – Originally (and more accurately) titled The Traitor, this mystery thriller takes place at the annual reunion of a group of Nazi Resistance fighters. But there’s a traitor amongst them and the one man who knows whodunit is promptly killed. Watch for Christopher Lee in a supporting role.

Hands Of A Stranger (1962) – The old Hands of Orlac story gets another retelling with James Noah as the concert pianist whose hands are destroyed in an accident, then replaced with a murderer’s limbs by surgeon Paul Lukather. The transplant is a success and Noah goes on to fame, fortune and Carnegie Hall without incident! Just kidding.

Tormented (1960) – Low-budget king Bert I. Gordon directs this ghost story about a jazz pianist (Richard Carlson) haunted by the specter of his recently deceased lover. It’s all about Nazis and pianists this week, isn’t it? Anyway, it’s nice to see some more of Mr. B.I.G.’s movies on DVD but what’s a guy gotta do to get The Amazing Colossal Man on disc?

Eight Is Enough: The Complete Fourth Season (1979-80) – Those wacky Bradfords are back for more comedy-drama misadventures and to fill your house with love. The kids are growing up, so expect weddings, honeymoons, proms, and more Willie Aames than you can shake an Adam Rich at.

Finally, here’s a tip for those of you in Los Angeles. This Sunday at 10PM, Everything Is Festival IV and The Cinefamily will be screening The Phynx (in 35MM, no less), hosted by Patton Oswalt. The Phynx is, without question, the single strangest film in the entire Warner Archive Collection. If you love psychotronic cinema, you need to see The Phynx and this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have the great Mr. Oswalt as your guide, so don’t miss it!

This week’s Burnt Offerings include titles from Paramount returning to print courtesy of Warner Archive and a quartet of classics from 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives.

Let’s kick things off with the latest from the Warner Archive Collection.

WARNER ARCHIVE – NEW THIS WEEK

Going Hollywood (1933) – Marion Davies and Bing Crosby star in this musical from director Raoul Walsh. Crosby plays a radio crooner (quite a stretch, I realize) who goes to L.A. to make his movie debut. Davies is a schoolteacher with a crush who follows him, determined to win him over. Evidently restraining orders weren’t around back in 1933. [...]

Kilroy Was Here (1947) – Former child stars Jackie Cooper and Jackie Coogan (the Coreys of their day) team up for this Monogram Pictures comedy. Cooper plays John J. Kilroy who struggles to live down his notorious name. Yep, even in the 40s they made movies based solely on fleetingly popular catchphrases.

Lost Angel (1943) – Margaret O’Brien plays Alpha, a child genius raised by scientists at the Institute of Child Psychology. After she’s interviewed by reporter James Craig, she begins to realize the magic of childhood is passing her by. So she runs away and asks Craig to show her what she’s been missing.

Where Are Your Children? (1943) – That’s a darn good question when teenager Gale Storm falls in with a group of juvenile delinquents and ends up an accessory to murder. Jackie Cooper costars as Storm’s Navy-bound boyfriend with all the wrong connections.

Cheyenne: The Complete Sixth Season (1961-62) – Clint Walker’s classic TV Western enters its second-to-last season with such notable guest stars as James Coburn, Lee Van Cleef and Ellen Burstyn.

Hunted: The Complete First Season (2012) – The X-Files’ Frank Spotnitz created this Cinemax series with Melissa George as spy Sam Hunter, betrayed by her own employers at the private security firm Byzantium. Seems like Byzantium would have made for a more interesting and dynamic title than Hunted but what do I know.

PARAMOUNT – BACK IN PRINT FROM WARNER ARCHIVE

All In A Night’s Work (1961) – Dean Martin inherits his uncle’s publishing industry and a scandal involving towel-clad researcher Shirley MacLaine in this screwball comedy.

Fire In The Sky (1993) – D.B. Sweeney stars as UFO abductee Travis Walton in this better-than-you-might-expect science maybe-fiction-maybe-fact movie. It’s given a boost by a terrific supporting cast that includes Robert Patrick, Henry Thomas, Craig Sheffer, Peter Berg and James Garner.

My Geisha (1962) – Shirley MacLaine disguises herself as a geisha to convince her filmmaker husband Yves Montand that she’s the right actress to star in his adaptation of Madame Butterfly. One of a handful of pictures directed by legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff.

On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) – Barbra Streisand undergoes hypnosis treatment from Yves Montand and finds herself reliving past lives in this odd musical from director Vincente Minnelli. The supporting cast includes Bob Newhart and Jack Nicholson. I stumbled upon this on TV many years ago. I believe the exact words out of my mouth were, “What the hell is this?”

Riding High (1950) – Frank Capra remakes his own 1934 film Broadway Bill as a musical with Bing Crosby as a down-and-out horse trainer. Oliver Hardy makes one of his rare screen appearances without Stan Laurel in this.

Stuart Saves His Family (1995) – Senator Al Franken brings his Saturday Night Live character Stuart Smalley to the big screen. Believe it or not, this is actually one of the better SNL movies, which I realize isn’t necessarily saying much.

20TH CENTURY FOX CINEMA ARCHIVES

April Love (1957) – Pat Boone and Shirley Jones make hay while the sun shines on Pat’s old Kentucky farm in this wholesome musical. Fox has taken some heat for releasing pan-and-scan MOD discs of widescreen movies. Sadly, this CinemaScope release seems to be no exception to that rule.

No Highway In The Sky (1951) – James Stewart plays an engineer trying desperately to convince the crew of the plane he’s on that a design flaw will cause it to crash within hours of takeoff. Marlene Dietrich costars as one of the few passengers who believe him. This is a taut, terrific little thriller and I’m genuinely surprised it hasn’t been released on DVD until now.

Ramona (1936) – If you live in southern California, you’re probably familiar with Helen Hunt Jackson’s novel Ramona, even if you aren’t aware of it. This version stars Loretta Young as the half-Indian girl raised begrudgingly by a wealthy landowner. Don Ameche plays her Indian lover.

Sweet And Low-Down (1944) – A wartime musical about a young trombone player who gets his big break when he’s invited to join Benny Goodman’s big band. The plot and performances are kind of beside the point, though. This is all about Goodman’s music, which was never better.